Li Ce was a little worried and kindly advised, "Won't Ruijia cause trouble if she goes with you? She might get in the way of your work. It's better for her stay at home."
Little Ruijia quickly glared at Li Ce and shook her head. She quickly promised,
"I'll be good."
Chu Nanzhi did not intend to change her plans lest the child cry again. She said to Li Ce,
"It's fine. But I'll leave the family matters to you."
She was thinking about how County Magistrate Hu and Deputy Sun had plotted against her. If she brought a child along, it would be a good opportunity to make them feel guilty.
With that thought in mind, she brought Ruijia with her into the carriage.
The carriage slowly drove through the village. When they reached the official road, the coachman suddenly shouted at the horses, and they began to gallop. They reached the city in less than half an hour.
When they passed a bun shop, Chu Nanzhi bought some meat buns stuffed for Lin Ruijia. She saw someone selling small toys in the next stall and she also bought a few.
Lin Ruijia sat in the carriage with a steaming bun in one hand and a rattle-drum in the other. Then she looked at the pair of beautiful little puppets beside her. She was overjoyed.
The bad woman was treating her better and better. She suddenly had the urge to call her "Mother."
However, she was afraid that the older children would scold her if they found out, so she quickly dismissed this thought.
After she finished eating the bun, she suddenly pouted and said to Chu Nanzhi,
"Can you change your mind about divorcing Father?"
Last night, when she was lying in bed, she had secretly overheard the conversation between the bad woman and her father. She had been holding it in all this time, but now, she finally said it.
Chu Nanzhi was shocked. This child was really meticulous.
No wonder she insisted on coming today.
She smiled awkwardly. "Even if I divorce your father, I'll still think about you and the other children in the future. I'll buy you new clothes and delicious food."
"I know what a divorce is. Second Aunt told me before."
Little Ruijia looked dispirited and said unhappily, "If you divorce Father, you will have to leave our family and live by yourself."
"Then you should be very happy. In the future, no one will hit or scold you."
Little Ruijia lowered her head silently.
In the past, they wanted the bad women to leave this house, but now, she did not seem to want that anymore.
Moreover, her brothers and sisters had cried yesterday when they thought that the bad woman was not coming home.
She felt that the other three children did not want her to leave either.
So, she had to keep a close eye on the bad women for everyone's sake and not allow her to sneak away.
When the carriage arrived at the county office, the county magistrate and the deputy were already waiting at the entrance.
Seeing their carriage, the two of them immediately walked over with the bailiffs to welcome here.
Magistrate Hu began to ask about Chu Nanzhi's well-being even before she got out of the carriage.
"Thank you for coming all the way, Madam Chu. Madam Chu, have you had breakfast? I've prepared…"
However, when he saw Chu Nanzhi holding a girl's hand, he frowned and his high spirits immediately dissipated.
"This… this is…?"
"Reporting to the county magistrate, this is my daughter, Lin Ruijia."
"Greetings, Grandpa County Magistrate. You can call me Ruijia."
Little Ruijia looked at Magistrate Hu with a sweet smile.
"So it's your daughter, but…"
County Magistrate Hu looked at Deputy Sun hesitantly. "Am I that old?"
"You are, Grandpa County Magistrate. You even have a beard. My father doesn't have a beard."
"Well …"
Magistrate Hu and Deputy Sun looked at each other and smiled wryly.
He had married relatively late, when he was almost 30 years old. His eldest son was only four years older than this little girl.
But he did not like to be addressed as a grandfather before he reached the age of 40.
Chu Nanzhi knew that he was in a hurry to solve the case, so she did not want to chat with him. Instead, she went straight to the point. "I want to personally visit the Zhao Mansion today."
With that, she returned the document bag to Deputy Sun with both hands.
"Yes, I'm afraid the information recorded by the bailiffs is not comprehensive enough. It's good to go personally."
Magistrate Hu inadvertently glanced at Lin Ruijia. He was a little troubled. "But what about her?"
"It's fine. My daughter is very obedient. She won't cause trouble."
"That's right, Grandpa County Magistrate. I'm really very obedient."
Magistrate Hu gritted his teeth and thought for a moment. He was afraid that the Zhao family would be displeased if he brought a child with him.
However, he wanted Madam Chu to investigate the case for him, so he could only brace himself and nod gloomily. "Alright, I'll accompany Madam Chu."
He ordered his men to prepare a horse and called a few servants to head towards the Zhao Mansion.
The Zhao Mansion was located in the downtown area to the east of the county office. It was also the most expensive and prosperous region in Luyan Harbor.
When Elder Zhao first arrived, he used the county governor's authority and spent a lot of money to forcibly occupy this valuable land, then he built the most magnificent mansion in the county.
The carriage traveled slowly through the bustling city. They were still far from the Zhao Mansion. When the residence's servants saw that the county office was going to visit, they went ahead to make ready.
By the time Chu Nanzhi got out of the carriage, the entire Zhao family was already waiting at the main entrance.
Chu Nanzhi held Lin Ruijia's hand and walked by Magistrate Hu's side. She saw him greeting an old man in white in the middle of the crowd.
The old man's face was wrinkled, and age spots covered his cheeks and neck. He looked to be in his sixties.
Chu Nanzhi looked at his dignified and solemn figure and guessed that this was the famous Elder Zhao.
Beside him stood a delicate-looking woman with a noble expression. She must be the second wife.
Although this woman deliberately dressed in a mature and solemn style, her skin was firm and delicate. Her eyes flickered, and one could vaguely sense the lingering charm of an innocent girl. She was probably only in her twenties.
If she had not learned about the background information of this family in advance, she would have thought that they were father and daughter.
After County Magistrate Hu cupped his hands in greeting to Elder Zhao, he immediately put on a humble and embarrassed expression.
"Elder Zhao, I've been so worried about your son's disappearance that I can't sleep at night. I am quite troubled. I've been searching for such a long time to no avail, which was why I wanted to personally visit to your residence to understand the case in detail. Please forgive me for disturbing you."
But when Elder Zhao saw him lead a woman and a child over, he was immediately displeased. He lost his temper in front of everyone and scolded,
"Hu Maoxi, I asked you to help me find my son. Instead of trying your best to capture the bandits who kidnapped my son, you brought a woman and her young daughter to investigate the case. Are you making fun of me?"
"Elder, you're mistaken."
County Magistrate Hu quickly explained, "This lady is none other than the wife of Brother Lin, who helped solve the tax case in our county a few days ago. I specially invited her to see if she can find any clues."
Hearing that this was the woman who had solved the tax case, Elder Zhao looked at Chu Nanzhi in a more friendly manner and said slowly,
"Even so, you should bring her to trace the bandits who kidnapped my son. What can you do in my mansion? Surely I wouldn't have hidden my son jere to deliberately make things difficult for you?"
"No, no."
County Magistrate Hu answered submissively.
Chu Nanzhi saw that this Magistrate Hu, who had always had a majestic air, was cowed after being reprimanded by this local tycoon. She immediately walked forward. Her manner was neither servile nor overbearing. She bowed to the old man and smiled.
"Elder Zhao, you keep saying that your son was kidnapped, but based on what I know, you weren't at home on the day of the incident. Why are you so sure this was the work of bandits? I'm afraid it's inappropriate to make false accusations, right?"
Elder Zhao knew that he was being unreasonable, but there was no other way to pressure Hu Maoxi.
He missed his son so much that he could only insist on this theory.
If the county magistrate could not find his son, he would certainly embarrass the magistrate in front of the governor and the deputy inspector.